EBOLA: NIGERIA SET TO RELEASE LOCALLY PRODUCED DRUGS, VACCINES

EBOLA: NIGERIA SET TO RELEASE LOCALLY PRODUCED DRUGS, VACCINES
Indications emerged on Wednesday that the Federal Government may have resorted to local production of vaccines and drugs for the management of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
This is coming ahead of Thursday’s stakeholders’ meeting slated to review the current efforts that have been put in place to contain the disease.
The Nigerian Times learnt that the review meeting convened under the auspices of Treatment Research Group on the EVD intends to review and discuss the drug derived from bitter-kola for the management of the disease.
Two drugs, GB One and Veron are said to have been derived from bitter-kola already.
Prominent member of the TRG and former Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Maurice Iwu, dropped the hint during a joint press briefing with the co-chair of the TRG, who is also the Director-General of Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Prof. Innocent Ujah.
“That is already in the market; but that is not the issue here. If you are weight conscious, if you go to the internet, there is a particular compound that is from casenia, which is used for weight loss. But, the one we are talking about is the drug that is derived from bitter cola, two drugs there; one is called GB One, the other one is called Kola Veron,” Iwu said during the briefing on how far he has gone on the bitter-kola option for the management of the disease and preparation for the stakeholders meeting.
He added that: “Tomorrow, it will be one of those to be reviewed, and, you will be able to see how far the work has gone. And, you will be able to appreciate what remains to be done. But, much more importantly, we are not talking about cure. That is the language that is used by the lay person. We are talking about being able to treat a disease with it, being able to manage a disease, being able to reduce the mortality rate and not necessarily in terms of curing.
“But, having said that, the issue of casenia cola will be one of the compounds we will review tomorrow. And, be rest assured that as a country and as scientists, we will not shy away from being able to discuss it with our colleagues. One of the things you will be surprised with tomorrow is that it was Prof. Iwu started work, but the actual advance done so far has been from the University of Ibadan. One certain Professor who will be there will be able to tell us what they have done in the past 20 years and other steps in that direction.”
On his part, Ujah said, “We are discussing experimental vaccines in the management of EVD and to develop a national plan for self-development of medical counter measures to emerging infectious diseases, including Ebola virus. After the national response, what is now left is that we go back to our labs and our research unit and look at what will happen.”
“It has been stated clearly that we don’t want to put the cart before the horse. The essence of tomorrow’s meeting is to brainstorm and see the strategic direction that we will go, including possible vaccine production and even drugs.
“We have submitted to the Federal Government some of the candidate vaccines that the literature has provided. But, we believe that at the end of the meeting, we should have a strategic direction in this area.
“So, apart from surveillance, apart from contact tracing, we now have to go to our laboratories and begin to do some works. Funding research is capital intensive. Therefore, one of the things that we must realise from the beginning is that it is not going to be business as usual. We must have strategic funding for the research. For human capacity, Nigeria has it; I can tell you that,” he added.
Source: Nigerian Times